Mobility and adjustments: paths to the resolution of residential stress.
In theory, residential mobility is a response to environmental stress only if households do not reduce dissatisfaction through other alternatives, such as housing improvements or repairs. Despite the attention given to stress-reducing alternatives, however, no attempt has been made to test empirically the residential satisfaction model with adjustments. Using data from the Annual Housing Survey: 1978-1981, I model three stages in the mobility process and investigate potential sources of specification error in previous tests. Blocks of family cycle, background/action state, and location/housing variables are shown to affect adjusting significantly. Residential satisfaction strongly affects mobility preferences; and all theoretically relevant blocks of explanatory variables predict mobility. Alternatives to mobility should be included in the residential satisfaction model.
Deane
G D
GD
Department of Sociology, Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27516-3997.
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003662:Decision Theory; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011157:Population Dynamics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D014481:United States